UK secured legally binding changes: UK Cabinet minister

LONDON

British Prime Minister Theresa May “secured legally binding changes that strengthen and improve the [EU] withdrawal agreement and the political declaration,” Cabinet Minister David Liddington told the House of Commons late Monday.

Liddington said the “meaningful vote” on the agreement will be held tomorrow in parliament after a statement to update on talks with the EU leaders.

May and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclays are still in Strasbourg and trying to finalize the latest changes, he added.

Liddington outlined two new documents -- a legally binding on EU withdrawal and Northern Ireland and another to a supplement on declaration.

"The House was clear on the need for legally-binding changes to the backstop. Today we have secured these changes. Now is the time to come together, to back this improved Brexit deal and deliver on the instruction of the British people," said Liddington.

Earlier Monday, the British government said Brexit talks between the U.K. and the EU officials reached a "deadlock" after negotiations over the weekend but a later statement said May was leaving for Strasbourg to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

May’s deal was rejected on Jan. 15 by a majority of 230 votes in parliament, giving the prime minister the worst defeat for a sitting government for decades.

Parliament passed an amendment to give May a mandate to seek legally binding changes on the EU withdrawal. However, the EU said it would not open the agreement for further negotiations.

Crucial votes ahead

March 12:

Parliament will vote on May’s deal and if it passes this time around, the U.K. will leave the EU on March 29 with that deal.

If the deal is voted down again, on the following two days lawmakers are expected to discuss and vote on two amendments.

March 13:

MPs will vote whether to leave without a deal.

If they vote to leave with no deal, the U.K. will have left the EU on March 29 and since there will be no deal in effect it is unclear what will happen in the immediate aftermath.

But if the lawmakers reject to leave the EU without a deal, another vote will be held Thursday, March 14.

March 14:

British parliament will vote whether the country needs more time for an orderly exit.

If MPs agree to extend Article 50 and therefore the negotiation process, talks will be extended for a period of time subject to agreement with the EU.

Irish border

As the UK will leave the bloc at the end March, the border between Northern Ireland -- a U.K. territory -- and the Republic of Ireland, will remain as the only land border between the U.K. and the EU.

The border at the moment is invisible, and people, goods and services can travel through it freely. But as the U.K. leaves the EU, the border, technically, will need some sort of checks.

Due to the sensitive nature of the region and because the free passage is one of the crucial articles of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, the U.K., EU, Northern Ireland and Ireland all reject the idea of returning to a hard border where checkpoints and customs buildings will need to be installed.

The border issue has been one of the thorniest in Brexit talks.

Backstop

The main disagreement over the border issue has been an EU-suggested backstop -- keeping Northern Ireland in the EU single market and the Customs Union after Brexit until a solution is found -- because it would create a sort of a border within the U.K. in the Irish Sea.

May has said she would not give in to any solution that would divide the U.K. and negotiated for a U.K.-wide backstop.

However, this concession from the EU failed to impress parliament as the new type of backstop had no clear end date and cannot be ended unilaterally by the parties.

The U.K. is set to leave the bloc March 29 as a result of a 2016 referendum where British voters decided to leave the union after more than 40 years of membership.